Weapon misfires are a dangerous situation commonly catching the user of the weapon off guard. Misfires come in various forms such as the unintended firing of a round, the firing of more rounds than intended, and the non-firing of a round. Many reasons may lead to a weapon misfire such as user error or poor quality ammunition. Mechanical error or failure, however, is also a major cause of weapon misfires and may create the most dangerous situations. For example, if a weapon malfunctions and fires a round without the user having pulled the trigger, the result can put innocent persons or animals at risk of being shot unintentionally. Weapon malfunctions may not be the direct result of a component failure but may instead result from a combination of factors that together cause a weapon to misfire. For example, the failure to effectively catch the hammer after a first round has been fired may result in the hammer inadvertently rotating forward causing a second round to be fired unintentionally. If the hammer is not caught after the second projectile is fired, the condition may repeat resulting in an uncontrolled continuous fire situation.
It is therefore vital that the trigger mechanism of a weapon reduce the potential for a misfire. Accordingly, there is a need for a trigger mechanism that more effectively prevents misfire conditions by securing the hammer before it can rotate forward to strike a second round of ammunition.